Page 31 of Iced Out Mate

Chapter Fourteen

Dirty, Dirty Wolf

MILES

I raced through the woods like a silver and black comet, bright sunlight dappling through the canopy. My tongue lolled from my mouth as my claws dug into the ground for purchase, propelling me forward, faster and faster. I swerved around a thick oak, leapt over a fallen log, crashed through a thick tangle of bushes. Twigs and branches scratched at me but I didn’t mind in the slightest.

This was how life should be experienced by everyone, not just wolf shifters. I wanted the entire world to experience the freedom that coursed through my veins and the unity I felt with the earth. Nature healed all. She was called Mother Earth for a reason. The nurturing, life-giving energy surrounded me a thousandfold as I ran through the forest as a wolf.

A long howl rose up from my chest. It seemed to echo through the trees. I didn’t care that it was midday and that a hiker or jogger would hear. I wanted them to hear. To listen to my call and be reminded that humans may be at the top of the food chain, but that chain was still anchored down to the dirt underneath my paws, connecting every other living creature together.

I continued to run, all the way back to the edge of the woods that bordered my neighborhood. There I slowed down to a trot, my tail hanging loose behind me as my ears perked up. The sounds of the city drew closer, louder. I could hear cars starting, a father calling to his son to grab his wallet, two dogs barking loudly at each other.

It was there that I shifted back into my human form. It was a painless process that took less than a minute to complete. Anyone watching would have seen a mirage-like effect overtaking my shape, growing with me as my limbs changed shape and my bones shuffled and my organs morphed. Once the haze in the air was gone, they’d see me standing in the same exact spot a wolf had been only moments before.

I brushed off some dirt from my shorts and straightened out my shirt. Clothes and accessories were only ruined when we’d shift into our were forms on the night of a full moon, but if we were shifting into our smaller wolf forms then everything returned once we became human again.

Convenient, because I certainly didn’t want to walk out of a random section of woods with my meat swinging left and right, greeting the neighbors before I got a chance to wave at them.

With my hands.

I stepped out of the woods and started down a dirt path that connected to the sidewalk. It was a quiet neighborhood full of old one-story homes full of character, with large porches and delicate white picket fences that looked like they were straight out of a fairytale. None of my neighbors were out, so I continued walking until I reached my home, marked by the charming blue door and the now-dying red rose bushes bordering it. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, feeling much more calm after that run.

I’d been getting worked up this last week. Couldn’t explain exactly why. Some of it had to do with my growing and undeniable attraction to Dyl. It wasn’t just sexual anymore, it wasn’t just physical. It had grown to be a mental connection as well. I truly enjoyed spending time with him, talking to him, sitting in silence with him. We’d hung out a few times since that night he invited me over to play video games, but he’d been incredibly busy with the start of the new season and me with keeping all the players fit and healthy, that our times together were brief. Much shorter than I wanted them to be.

That realization frustrated me. It made me wonder which path in front of me would be a mistake and which would be a blessing. Should I follow my heart, or ignore the song that only Dylan could orchestrate inside my chest?

That wasn’t all that frustrated me, though. I checked my phone for the hundredth time today with a twinge of dread. It had become a habit of mine. Flinching at the sound of a text, bracing myself with every vibration, every notification. Wondering when it’d be another unhinged threat from my stalker. It had been quiet on that front, which only made things feel more ominous. As if they were gathering themself in the wings of the stage, ready to leap out and finish me for the big finale.

I couldn’t let that happen. I made the decision around the midpoint of my run today, when my mind was most clear.

I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for something to happen. Nor would I rely on law enforcement that didn’t seem to have a good grip on this situation, especially considering I had to be careful with the information I gave them in order to not expose myself as a shifter.

So I decided I’d be finding this fucker before they got their hands on me.

I unlocked my phone and brought up my texts with Dylan.

MILES: Hey, remember you mentioned knowing a druid that’s a pro at finding people?

It didn’t take long at all for him to respond.

DYL: Yeah he used to date Yuni. Lives about thirty minutes out.

MILES: Do you have his number?

DYL: Better yet I have his address.

MILES: Can I just show up?

I was already grabbing my car keys.

DYL: He prefers that actually. Weird guy, didn’t last more than three months with Yuni. Also always smelled like garlic.

MILES: I’ll hold my breath. What’s the address?

DYL: I’ll tell you when you pick me up.

Huh. I didn’t want to involve Dylan in this more than he needed to be—which was not at all. Bringing him to this meeting felt like I was tying the strings of fate together, wrapping them around the both of us. Right now, apart from opening up to him about it, I’d kept him very separate from my stalker issue. Even when the worry would eat away at the back of my brain like a bore worm, I’d stay quiet, not wanting to freak him out or worry him or make him think he had to do anything to solve this himself.